2020 Subaru Forester
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Visibility/wiper is the leading concern among 600 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 3rd highest complaint count among 26 Forester model years with reports.
Of the 2020 reports, 26 involved a crash and 9 involved a fire. 16 people were injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
No safety recalls on file.
Representative owner complaints
600 reports, newest first.
Visibility/wiper, Apr 16, 2020
PURCHASED VEHICLE NEW IN LATE OCTOBER 2019. WINDSHIELD CRACKED, FOR NO APPARENT REASON, IN MID-DECEMBER 2019. IN OTHER WORDS, NOTHING STRUCK THE WINDSHIELD TO CAUSE THE CRACK.
Visibility/wiper, Apr 15, 2020
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2020 SUBARU FORESTER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE HIS SPOUSE WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH, A SMALL OBJECT HIT THE UPPER LEFT-HAND CORNER OF THE FRONT WINDSHIELD CAUSING A CRACK IN THE VIEW OF THE DRIVER. THE CONTACT CONTACTED SUBARU OF EL CAJON (900 ARNELE AVE, EL CAJON, CA 92020, (619) 440-0404) AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE WINDSHIELD NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS INFORMED OF THE FAILURE AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT WINDSHIELD WAS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AFTER RESEARCHING ONLINE, IT WAS STATED THAT THE WINDSHIELD WAS MANUFACTURED WITH A THINNER GLASS AND IT WAS COMMON FOR FRACTURE TO OCCUR WITH LITTLE TO NO IMPACT. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE 4,000.
Visibility/wiper, Apr 14, 2020
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2020 SUBARU FORESTER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 70 MPH, AN UNKNOWN INSECT HIT THE LOWER DRIVER SIDE CORNER OF THE WINDSHIELD. AN HOUR LATER, A 14'' CRACK BEGAN TO FORM AT THE EXACT SPOT WHERE THE INSECT MADE IMPACT WITH THE WINDSHIELD. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO SUBARU OF ONTARIO (1195 AUTO CENTER DR, ONTARIO, CA 91761) WHERE AN APPOINTMENT WAS MADE TO HAVE THE WINDSHIELD REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER HAD NOT BEEN NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT WAS CONCERNED THAT THE QUALITY OF THE WINDSHIELD WAS UNSAFE AND COULD POTENTIALLY CAUSE AN INJURY. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 12,200.*BF*JB
Visibility/wiper, Apr 11, 2020
STRESS CRACK STARTING UNDER THE SEAL OF THE WINDSHIELD. CAR WAS GOING 15 MPH IN A HOUSING NEIGHBORHOOD.
Visibility/wiper, Apr 2, 2020
I NOTICED A CHIP IN MY WINDSHIELD THAT SEEMED TO APPEAR OVERNIGHT IN MY GARAGE. I CALLED MY INSURANCE COMPANY AND THEY SENT SOMEONE TO FILL IT THE NEXT DAY. WHEN HE CAME TO FILL THE CHIP, HE SAID THAT IT CRACKED AND SPREAD AFTER HE FILLED IT. I THEN NOTICED THERE ARE LITERALLY OVER 10 CHIPS SCATTERED THROUGHOUT THE WINDSHIELD NOT INCLUDING THAT ONE. I BOUGHT THIS FORESTER ON OCTOBER 31, 2019 BRAND NEW AND AM A VERY CAUTIOUS DRIVER. THERE IS NO WAY THERE SHOULD BE THIS MANY CHIPS IN MY WINDSHIELD AND FOR THE WINDSHIELD TO CRACK FROM A CERTIFIED TECHNICIAN FILLING A VERY SMALL CHIP.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Apr 2, 2020
A CHANGE IN SOME 2019-2020 SUBARU MODELS CAUSES AN INCOMPATIBILITY BETWEEN OBD-II DEVICES AND THE SUBARU STARLINK SYSTEM (WHICH IS USED TO DISPATCH EMERGENCY SERVICES IN THE EVENT OF AN ACCIDENT, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES). SUBARU SERVICE BULLETIN 15-257-19 11/11/2019 RECOGNIZES THE PROBLEM, BUT DOES NOT OFFER A SOLUTION OTHER THAN TELL THE CUSTOMER NOT TO USE THE OBD-II DEVICE. SINCE THE STARLINK SYSTEM PRIOR TO MODEL YEAR 2019 WAS COMPATIBLE WITH OBD-II DEVICES, IT SEEMS LIKELY THAT A SUBARU INITIATED CHANGE IS CAUSING THIS INCOMPATIBILITY. AS STATED IN THE BULLETIN, IN ORDER TO AVOID HAVING THE CAR NOTIFY THE DEALER EVERY 3 DAYS OF THE PROBLEM, THEY HAVE CHANGED THE NOTIFICATIONS TO ONCE EVERY 10 DAYS. THIS IS NOT SOLVING THE PROBLEM, BUT MERELY PUSHING IT DOWN THE ROAD. SOME CONSIDER STARLINK A SAFETY SYSTEM, AND PAY EXTRA TO HAVE IT AVAILABLE. COPY OF SERVICE BULLETIN ATTACHED. THIS IS A CONTINUING, REPEATED PROBLEM STARTING ON 3/11/2020 AND IS A CONTINUING INTERMITTENT PROBLEM. FIRST DEALER SERVICE ON 3/17/2020 FOUND NO PROBLEM BECAUSE THE ISSUE HAD TEMPORARILY RESOLVED ITSELF. THE SERVICE BULLETIN WAS NOT FOUND BY THE OWNER UNTIL 4/2/2020 AFTER SEVERAL BACK AND FORTH EMAILS WITH SUBARU CUSTOMER SERVICE BEFORE THEN.
Visibility/wiper, Mar 31, 2020
GOT INTO VEHICLE IN THE MORNING, TURNED ON AC, WINDSHIELD CRACKED WHILE PARKED.
Visibility/wiper, Mar 28, 2020
WALKED OUT TO GARAGE THIS MORNING, AND NOTICED THE WINDSHIELD IS CRACKED. I AM NOT AWARE OF ANYTHING HITTING THE WINDSHIELD, AND THE CAR HAS LESS THAN 3,000 MILES ON IT, PURCHASED IN FEBRUARY 2020.
Visibility/wiper, Mar 15, 2020
WINDSHIELD BROKE FOR NO REASON OUR CAR IS ONLY 2 MONTHS OLD CAR WAS IN THE GARAGE
Visibility/wiper, Mar 15, 2020
DRIVING ON A ROAD GOING ABOUT 30, WET AROUND A CORNER A TRUCK PASSED ME GOING THE OPPOSITE WAY. KICKING UP A ROCK THAT HIT MY WINDSHIELD AND IT CRACKED INSTANTLY, MORE THAN HALFWAY TO THE PASSENGER SIDE
Visibility/wiper, Mar 14, 2020
THERE IS A APPROXIMATELY 2 FT LONG WINDSHIELD CRACK EMANATING FROM THE LOWER DRIVER'S SIDE AND EXTENDING TOWARD THE CENTER OF WINDSHIELD. THE CRACK WAS NOTICED WHILE DRIVING BUT TIME OF ORIGIN IS UNKNOWN. A TINY ROCK CHIP IS LOCATED A FEW INCHES FROM THE START OF THE CRACK AND SEEMS INCONSISTENT WITH THE LENGTH OF THE CRACK, BASED ON PAST EXPERIENCE WITH ROCK CHIPS.
Visibility/wiper, Mar 14, 2020
WINDSHIELD CRACKED BY SMALL PEBBLE ON 3RD DAY OF LEASE OF CAR. DRIVING APPROX. 30MPH WHEN CAR GOING ONLY A LITTLE FASTER CHANGED LANES AND THREW PEBBLE. ON A PAVED ROAD.
Visibility/wiper, Mar 13, 2020
FRONT WINDSHIELD ON DRIVERS SIDE, UPPER PORTION, CRACKED FOR NO APPARENT REASON. VEHICLE WAS TRAVELLING AT APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH ON AN ON-RAMP TO AN INTERSTATE HIGHWAY.
Visibility/wiper, Mar 13, 2020
WINDSHIELD CRACKED AND NEEDED TO BE REPAIRED BY INSURANCE ROUGHLY 5 WEEKS FROM PURCHASE. DRIVING DOWN THE FREEWAY WHEN SUDDENLY I HEARD A LITTLE SNAP, THAT'S WHEN I NOTICED A SMALL CRACK START TO FORM. GREW TO A LITTLE LARGER THAN THE DIAMETER OF A QUARTER BEFORE MY INSURANCE HAD SOMEONE REPAIR IT 6 DAYS LATER
Visibility/wiper, Mar 13, 2020
MY WINDSHIELD CRACKED ON JANUARY 14, 2020, WHICH WAS EXACTLY ONE MONTH AND ONE DAY AFTER I PURCHASED THE CAR FROM THE DEALERSHIP. I HAVE NOT GOTTEN IT REPAIRED YET SINCE I AM TRYING TO KEEP TRACK OF THE LAWSUIT AGAINST SUBARU, BUT I WANTED IT DOCUMENTED THAT I AM HAVING A WINDSHIELD ISSUE AS MANY OTHERS HAVE HAD.
Visibility/wiper, Mar 9, 2020
2020 SUBARU FORESTER SPORT PURCHASED NEW 3.5 MONTHS AGO. VEHICLE WAS DRIVING ALONG LOCAL HIGHWAY WHEN A ROCK HIT THE WINDSHIELD. IMMEDIATELY THERE WAS A 5 INCH CRACK FORMED DIRECTLY ABOVE THE DRIVER SEAT. OVER THE NEXT 10 MINUTES, THE CRACK EXPANDED DOWNWARD INTO THE DRIVER LINE OF VIEW AND ACROSS THE WIDTH OF THE CAR ANOTHER 10 INCHES. EVEN AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY AND PARKED INSIDE A GARAGE OVERNIGHT, THE CRACK GREW ANOTHER 3 INCHES.
Visibility/wiper, Mar 8, 2020
HAD VEHICLE FOR LESS THAN ONE MONTH AND NOTICED A CRACK ON WINDSHIELD FROM TOP MIDDLE AT REARVIEW MIRROR LEVEL. CRACK WAS 10-12 INCHES BY END OF DAY. NEXT DAY NOTICE SMALL CHIP ON BOTTOM OF WINDSHIELD. BY END OF SECOND DAY THAT CHIP EXPANDED TO14 INCH CRACK FROM BOTTOM MIDDLE OF WINDSHIELD. NOW HAVE 12-14INCH CRACK FROM TOP MIDDLE OF WINDSHIELD AND 12-14INCH CRACK FROM BOTTOM MIDDLE OF WINDSHIELD. I BELIEVE BOTH OF THESE CRACKS TO HAVE ORIGINATED FROM SMALL ROCK STRIKES ON FREEWAY DRIVING, BUT I'VE NEVER SEEN SUCH EXTENSIVE DAMAGE FROM WHAT IS CONSIDERED NORMAL HIGHWAY DRIVING AFTER DRIVING FOR LESS THAN 2000 MILES ON VEHICLE.
Electrical system, Mar 3, 2020
VEHICLE IGNITION IS OFF AND IN PARK. THE SAFETY ISSUE OCCURS WHEN THE REAR TAILGATE IS LEFT OPEN. AFTER 20 MINUTES OF LEAVING THE REAR TAILGATE OPEN, ALL THE INTERIOR LIGHTS TURN OFF CORRECTLY AS A PUBLISHED SAFETY FEATURE TO HELP PREVENT A DEAD BATTERY UPON DEPARTURE. THE USER THINKS EVERYTHING HAS SHUT OFF WHEN THE LIGHTS TURN OFF, HOWEVER, THE REAR TAILGATE ECU DOES NOT TURN OFF OR GO TO A LOW POWER STATE AFTER THE INITIAL 20 MINUTES CAUSING A HIGH DRAIN ON THE BATTERY. THE HATCH ECU CONTINUES TO DRAW IN EXCESS OF 4 AMPS WHILE THE HATCH IS LEFT OPEN, CAUSING A DEAD BATTERY IN AS LITTLE AS A FEW HOURS. THE USER CAN UNKNOWINGLY BE LEFT STRANDED WITH A DEAD BATTERY CAUSING A SAFETY ISSUE. THIS IS A SERIOUS OVERSIGHT AND ENGINEERING ERROR THAT WILL LIKELY LEAVE MANY PEOPLE UNKNOWINGLY STRANDED WITH A DEAD BATTERY.
Other or unspecified, Feb 28, 2020
WINDSHIELD KEEPS BREAKING. VEHICLE BOUGHT IN NOVEMBER 2019, HAS BEEN REPLACED ONCE, AND IS NOW BROKEN AGAIN. BOTH TIMES, DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY A CRACK STARTS.
Visibility/wiper, Feb 27, 2020
RETURNING FROM VT ON ROAD THAT I HAVE FREQUENTLY TRAVELLED WITH NO ISSUE. THIS TIME DRIVING MY 2 MONTH OLD 2020 SUBARU FORESTER SPORT ON I-95 AND I NOTICEO A SMALL DING ALMOST DEAD CENTER BOTTOM OF FRONT WINDSHIELD. I HAD HEARD COUPLE SMALL PINGS WHILE DRIVING, BUT NOTHING STRONG OR LOUD, AND WAS SUPRISED BY THE DING IN GLASS. OVER REMAINING 2 HR DRIVE HOME, CHIP TURNS INTO ABOUT 5-6 INCH CRACK THAT RUNS UPWARD. NEXT MORNING CRACK IS OVER 10 INCHES. I WAS STRUCK BY THE INITIAL DING IN GLASS, BECAUSE THERE WAS NO UNUSUAL AND INTENSE NOISE OF STONE HITTING THE GLASS. AND I HAVE NEVER HAD A FRONT WINDSHIELD CRACK, EVEN IF I HAVE HAD WINDSHIELDS DINGED BY STONES ON HIGHWAY. STRUCK ME THAT THIS WAS UNUSUAL. A MONTH LATER, I BEGAN READING ABOUT THE POSSIBLE DEFECTIVE WINDSHIELDS ON 2020 SUBARU FORESTERS AND WONDER IF MY WINDSHIELD WAS ORIGINALLY DEFECENTIVE/WEAK.
Visibility/wiper, Feb 26, 2020
ON APPROXIMATELY 02/06/2020 I NOTICED A VERY SMALL CHIP IN MY WINDSHIELD. I ASSUMED IT WAS FROM A THROWN STONE, BUT I CAN'T CONFIRM THAT. ON 02/12/2020, I PARKED THE CAR IN A LONG TERM PARKING LOT NEAR DETROIT METRO AIRPORT. WHEN WE RETURNED ON 02/20/2020, THE SMALL CHIP HAD EXPANDED TO A FULL CRACK SPANNING FROM THE EDGE OF THE PASSENGER SIDE TO NEARLY THE CENTER OF THE WINDSHIELD. THE CAR HAD NOT BEEN MOVED, OR EVEN STARTED. IT HAD SAT STATIONARY, IN THE OPEN AIR, IN THIS PARKING LOT WHILE WE WERE AWAY ON VACATION.
Visibility/wiper, Feb 24, 2020
THIS IS THE SECOND INCIDENT WITH MY WINDSHIELD BEING HIT WITH A ROCK AND CRACKING. THE FIRST INCIDENT HAPPENED 1/18/2020 COMPLAINT #11300348. THE SECOND INCIDENT HAPPENED 2/22/2020. DRIVING ON I5 IN TACOMA, WA A ROCK FROM A VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME STRUCK MY WINDSHIELD ON THE DRIVERS SIDE LOWER PORTION OF THE WINDSHIELD. THIS VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED NEW ON 11/1/2019 AND NOW HAS TWO CRACKS IN IT. THE FIRST CRACK WAS ATTEMPTED TO BE REPAIRED BUT UNABLE.
Visibility/wiper, Feb 23, 2020
WE NOTICED A CRACK IN THE WINDSHIELD THAT SEEMED TO APPEAR OVERNIGHT. WE HAD NO MEMORY OF ANY SORT OF PEBBLE IMPACT. THERE WAS NO DIVOT IN THE WINDSHIELD AS FAR AS WE COULD SEE, JUST A CRACK OF ~ 3 INCHES NEAR THE LOWER CENTER OF THE FRONT WINDSHIELD.
Visibility/wiper, Feb 23, 2020
MY WINDSHIELD CRACKED FOR NO APPARENT REASON. THE CRACK BEGAN ON THE DRIVERS SIDE ABOUT MIDWAY UP FROM THE VERY LEFT EDGE. I NOTICED IT WHEN I PARKED MY CAR AT MY MOTHERS HOUSE HAVING DRIVEN ONE HOUR TO GET TO HER HOUSE. IT WAS ABOUT A 3-4 INCH CRACK GOING HORIZONTALLY FROM THE EDGE. IN ONE WEEK IT IS NOW OVER A FOOT LONG. I DO NOT RECALL MY WINDSHIELD HAVING BEEN HIT BY A ROCK OR ANYTHING AND I HAVE BEEN THE ONLY DRIVER OF MY VEHICLE.
Visibility/wiper, Feb 22, 2020
OWNED NEW CAR LESS THAN A MONTH AND PASSANGER NOTICED CRACK ORIGINATING NEAR BOTTOM OF GLASS MIDDLE PASSANGER RIGHT SIDE WINDSHIELD. THE CRACK GREW TO 8 INCHES THAT DAY. I HAVE NO RECOLLECTION OF A STONE OR OBJECT HITTING AND THE LOCATION SEEMS UNLIKELY PLACE.